All Aboard! No Details Spared in Model Railroad Weekend Displays!

COSI has Model Railroad Weekend through Sunday! While it was setting up, I got a chance to peek in at the progress and find out more about the special event. We have three very interesting railroad clubs with us for the weekend, The Columbus Garden Railway Society, The Central Ohio O-Scale Engineers and the Central Ohio S Gaugers. Along with those clubs, Operation Lifesaver is here and the Columbus Historical Society (which is housed here in COSI) put together a great display talking about the history of the railroad here in Columbus.

The detail that all of the clubs put into their displays is absolutely amazing. From the different shops and little cars to the little hand-painted people, it all shows the dedication of these clubs. I got a chance to speak to one of the members of the Central Ohio S Gaugers about their display. Art Lofton showed me around their railroad track and pointed out some really interesting details that I otherwise may not have noticed. He showed me their replica of the Bates Motel – of course a nod to the movie, Psycho but especially pointed out a shadow in the window of the motel. It turns out; it's a shadow of Alfred Hitchcock, who always made a cameo in his movies, including Psycho.

But what I thought was really neat was a little shop called Rocky Fork Printing. I recognized the print shop as one I've seen before in Gahanna. It turns out, the owner of Rocky Fork Printing, Alan Evans, was one of the founding members of the Central Ohio S Gaugers which was founded in 1986. This shop in the railroad display was dedicated to him in a recent ceremony. The little shop even includes Evans' wife behind the counter and a moving railroad track inside!

All of the displays feature little intricacies and each time I visited, they reveal just a little more of themselves to me. From the real smoke coming out of the steam engine to the welding shop with working lights, you'll find delight in all of these displays. If you get a chance to come to COSI this weekend, don't miss the chance to talk to these enthusiastic club members and make sure you ask lots of questions about their work. One more secret – make sure you check out the train station above the Rocky Fork Printing shop in the display. Watch what happens to the passengers on the bench – you will love it!

About the Author

Jaclyn Reynolds is the Public Relations and Social Media Manager for COSI. She has worked in communications and PR for more than 14 years. She has worked as a TV news producer in cable news and as a public information officer and communications specialist in state government.

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.